Ever walked up to your practice green and seen the holes sitting an inch or two above the surface? You're not seeing things, you're looking at raised cups. In this guide, we'll explain exactly what these are, why golf courses use them, and - most importantly - how you can use them as a surprisingly powerful tool to sharpen your putting skills. Prepare to transform this potential annoyance into a genuine game-improvement tool.
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What Are Raised Cups and Why Do They Exist?
A raised cup is simply a standard 4.25-inch golf hole liner that has been installed or modified to sit above the surface of the green rather than flush with it. It’s often a plastic or PVC insert that creates a small bumper around the hole. While some golfers find them odd, superintendents and golf pros have very practical reasons for using them.
The Rise of the Raised Cup: A Pandemic Pivot
Raised cups became widespread during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As courses looked for ways to operate safely, they needed to minimize common touchpoints. The flagstick and the inside of the cup were major concerns. By raising the cup, a golfer could "hole out" by having their ball simply make contact with the elevated liner.
This "touchless" solution meant no one had to reach into the hole to retrieve their ball, eliminating a high-traffic touchpoint and helping courses stay open while adhering to health guidelines. Many golf associations even recommended or temporarily required this setup for a period.
Why Some Courses Still Use Them Today
Protecting the Hole Edge: This is the biggest reason. The turf around the edge of a golf hole is extremely fragile. On a busy practice green, constant foot traffic and golfers digging their balls out of the cup can quickly cause the edges to become worn, frayed, and uneven. Using a raised cup protects this delicate area, keeping the surface pure and saving the grounds crew significant daily maintenance. This is especially common when a course is preparing its greens for a tournament.
Course and Player Maintenance: On a hot day or during a casual round, bending down to retrieve a ball from dozens of holes can be taxing, especially for older golfers or those with back issues. A raised cup offers a physical-stress-free alternative, allowing play to continue with less bending and strain.
A Sneaky-Good Training Tool: As we will cover in-depth, raised cups have a remarkable, if accidental, benefit for game improvement. They force a golfer to focus intensely on speed and line, the two absolute pillars of great putting. Some facilities intentionally use them on practice greens for this very reason.
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So, Does Hitting a Raised Cup Actually Count as Holing Out?
This is where things get specific, and the answer depends entirely on the context of your round. According to the official Rules of Golf - specifically, Rule 13.2c - a ball is considered "holed" only when it is at rest inside the hole with the entire ball being below the surface of the putting green.
For an Official Score (Tournament, Handicap, etc.): No, hitting a raised cup does not officially count as holing the putt. For a score to be legitimate for these purposes, the ball must fall completely below the putting surface and come to rest in the cup.
The "COVID Rule" Caveat: During the pandemic, most governing bodies (like the USGA) issued a temporary measure allowing 'holed' scores with raised cups to be posted for handicap purposes. This provision has since been almost universally rescinded. Always check your local club or association's current rules if you're ever in doubt.
For Casual Play: When you're just playing with your friends, it’s up to you! The standard etiquette is to establish the ground rule on the first tee. If everyone agrees that an audible "clink" of the ball hitting the raised liner counts as a made putt, then that's the rule for the day. Consistency is what matters most in friendly games.
How to Actually Practice and Improve Your Putting with Raised Cups
Now for the fun part. Let's stop looking at raised cups as an inconvenience and start seeing them for what they are: feedback machines. A regular hole can forgive a poorly struck putt, one with bad speed can rattle in, and one with a slightly off line can catch the lip.
A raised cup offers no such forgiveness. It exposes and punishes poor speed and an imperfect line, which is exactly why it's such an effective training aid. It forces you to get the two most important putting fundamentals right.
Focus #1: Perfecting Your Pace
We've all heard the advice to "hit your putts firmly" or "get it to the hole." While well-intentioned, this mindset often leads to golfers ramming their putts, taking the break out of play, and leaving tricky 4-footers coming back if they miss. Ideal putting speed is one where the ball dies into the hole, giving itself the maximum chance to fall in from any side.
A raised cup is the ultimate drill for this. You cannot ram a putt into a raised cup, if you do, it will just rebound off at high speed. To "hole" a putt here, your ball must arrive with just enough energy to tap the liner and stop.
The Die-Speed Drill:
Find a straight-to-slight-breaking putt on the practice green from about 6 to 8 feet away from a raised cup.
Place five balls and set a goal: to not only hit the cup but have the ball die at the hole. Your measure for success is that if the putt were to miss, it would not travel more than 12-18 inches past the hole. A putt that ricochets off the side or slams into the liner is considered a FAIL, even if it made contact.
Go through all five balls, focusing entirely on a smooth tempo that produces that gentle, dying speed. Notice the feel in your hands and arms when you get it right. This drill hardwires the ideal pace that allows your ball to use the entire 4.25-inch diameter of a real hole, not just the back wall.
Focus #2: Honing a Precise Line
A regulation hole is forgiving. Its width allows for a margin of error in your aim. A putt doesn't have to be perfect to fall. A raised cup, on the other hand, is an infinitesimally small target. To make clean contact, you can't just slap it in the general direction, you have to hit it dead-on center.
This elevates your practice by forcing a higher level of precision. It refines your ability to align your putter face and start the ball on your intended line, which is the foundation of consistency.
The Precision Line Drill:
From about 5 feet away from a raised cup, read the break and pick your line.
Place a ball in the spot you want the putt to "enter" the hole. Do this by centering the ball directly in front middle of the liner.
Your task is simple: hit putts and try to knock that ball away. You only succeed if your ball makes direct, center contact with the first ball.
This immediate feedback is powerful. There's no hiding. Either you started the ball on the exact line you chose, or you missed. It takes the guesswork out of practice and shines a spotlight on your ability to match your start line to your intended target.
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Changing Your Mindset: From Annoyance to Advantage
It's easy to walk up to a practice green with raised cups and feel frustrated. "This isn't real golf," or "How am I supposed to practice like this?" But the best players find advantages where others see obstacles.
Instead of seeing a flimsy piece of plastic, reframe it. See it as a high-tech feedback device that is giving you instant, unfiltered data on every single putt. It tells you immediately if your speed is off (the ball rockets past) or your line is wrong (you miss it clean). A normal hole lies to you by letting mediocre putts fall. The raised cup tells you the truth.
Embrace this. The next time you encounter one, say to yourself, "Great, the course gave me a free training aid today. I'm going to leave here with sharper speed and line control than I arrived with." This positive mindset shift is not just good for your putting practice, it’s a mindset that will make you a better, more resilient golfer in every aspect of the game.
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Raised cups, first popularized as a health and safety measure, still have a place in golf for protecting greens and providing a fantastic training opportunity. While a ball hitting one doesn't technically count as holed under the formal rules, it provides unfiltered feedback on the two most vital elements of putting: hitting your line and controlling your speed.
Improving at golf means understanding these kinds of nuances, whether it's how to use a raised cup to your advantage or figuring out the best way to play from a tricky downhill lie in the rough. When you’re on the course, sometimes practice drills aren't enough, and you need clear, confident advice in the moment. Our mission with Caddie AI is to put that expert caddie right in your pocket. You can get an instant strategy for how to play a hole, get a club recommendation, or even snap a photo of a difficult lie to get a simple, straightforward plan to get you out of trouble, letting you commit to every shot with confidence.
Spencer has been playing golf since he was a kid and has spent a lifetime chasing improvement. With over a decade of experience building successful tech products, he combined his love for golf and startups to create Caddie AI - the world's best AI golf app. Giving everyone an expert level coach in your pocket, available 24/7. Caddie's mission is simple: make world-class golf advice accessible to everyone, anytime.
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